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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585760">Who Are You, Really?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElzyZombie/pseuds/ElzyZombie'>ElzyZombie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Death, Drama &amp; Romance, F/M, Feels, Heavy Angst, Melodrama, Non-Graphic Violence, Romance, Tragic Romance, Whump, the drama in this fic is enough to make an emo sigh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:47:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>632</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElzyZombie/pseuds/ElzyZombie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, I know Terra. He’d never give in to the darkness.”</p><p>“Oh, but he did.”</p><p>- - -</p><p>Aqua confronts Xemnas in the ruins of their old home, hoping to reach Terra. Xemnas confronts Aqua, hoping to force her on his side. Both of them are too late.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Aqua/Xemnas (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Who Are You, Really?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>ANOTHER three year-old fic? I'm really breaking the bank on this one.</p><p>This is the last of the old fics, I hope you guys enjoyed them! (Even if they are nonsensical, lol)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No, I know Terra. He’d never give in to the darkness.”</p><p><em> “Oh, but he did </em>.”</p><p>Aqua stood at the foot of the steps leading up to the thrones, rising her head to the falling moon and meeting the amber eyes of someone she once knew well.</p><p>
  <em> “It wasn’t without struggle, of course.” </em>
</p><p>The man’s silhouette fell over her as he descended the staircase, each footstep lighter than the last until the only sound echoing off the walls of their distorted childhood home was that of the woman’s hushed breathing.</p><p>
  <em> “He fought, and he bit, and he scratched like a caged animal.” </em>
</p><p>He slowed his pace as he reached the last step, relishing the awed and horrified expression on his friend’s face. His hair had grown since she had last seen him, but that was to be expected since twelve long, painfully lonely years had passed. What she hadn’t expected was the silver hue dying his locks, and matching the snarl-like smile that crept over his lips.</p><p>
  <em> “And it was magnificent.” </em>
</p><p>Aqua stepped back as Xemnas reached the floor. His black coat swept the tiles, a thousand ravens fluttering over a barren graveyard before becoming still again. Aqua met his gaze unflinchingly.</p><p>“Answer me,” she demanded, clenching her fists. “Who are you, really?”</p><p>Xemnas shrugged, an action which chilled Aqua’s spine. “That’s a difficult question to respond with a single answer,” answered he, beginning to stride towards the woman. No matter what he did, Aqua could not see him as a functioning human being: he was a patchwork of Terra’s body and someone else’s voice, a mishmash of nostalgia and memories she tried to forget. He was a puppet hanging by strings.</p><p>Aqua recoiled as Xemnas lifted a hand towards her. Something warm flashed in those golden eyes, and struggled to maintain control. “Let me see you,” murmured he. As Aqua began to back away again, a quieter, almost choked word followed in a voice that nearly sounded like who he used to be. “Please.”</p><p>She stood where she was, frozen, heart twisted in two by logic and grief. She repeated her question, louder so that it reverberated off the walls of a place they called home. “Who are you?”</p><p>Xemnas lowered his arm, blinking slowly. With each blink, the former warmness gave way to ice. “Xehanort, in the beginning,” he answered. “But then, for the sake of his future, he split himself into heart and body. The latter is what you see before you.”</p><p>Aqua stood in reticence, inhaling, her hope rising steadily with each passing second. If this was his body, then would mean…</p><p>“I am Xemnas.”</p><p>She didn’t have the chance to release her breath before Xemnas’ weapon pierced through her stomach. It hummed with energy, glowing furiously and filling her vision with red. It was warm.</p><p>Xemnas leaned in, grabbing both her hands as to stop her keyblade from forming in them. He whispered, voice too low and far too soft to be the voice of her assailant.</p><p>“He wanted you to know,” he paused, light flickering and growing and dying all at once within those amber eyes. He sucked in air. “He wanted you to know…”</p><p>Aqua, with the last of her slipping strength, broke her wrists free of his grasp and cradled his face. She closed the distance between them. She wished and prayed and sobbed for him to return to her. She kissed him.</p><p>The warmth disappeared. Xemnas’ weapon dissipated into nothingness and floated around them like the stars they watched how many innocent years ago. A sudden flash dispelled them, and Aqua’s keyblade formed with its tip deeply imbedded in his chest as though his heart were a lock to be opened. They broke apart, murmuring breathlessly before they fell from consciousness.</p><p>“I love you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not sorry. I have no idea why I wrote this way back when. Literally nobody wins in this fic. I think I remember getting emotional over KH3 and wanting it released so I wrote this to get some of those good ol' Terraqua feels out. I still have Terraqua feels, but don't we all?</p><p>Gosh, I need to write more about these two. They could both beat me up in a dark alley and I'd thank them.</p><p>Hope you guys enjoyed these smaller, older fics! I'll definitely be writing some KH pieces in the future.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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